Raw starts off with a match for the WWE Women's Championship!

First Match:
Molly vs. Lita vs. Jazz vs. Victoria
4 way Elimination match
Match for the WWE Women's Championship

This was a sloppy match, but to be honest, some nice corrections midmove by Victoria
in a couple instances that saved the match from being a total wash. Match starts out
with Lita fighting Jazz and Victoria fighting Molly. During the match, Lita hits
probably the wickedest swinging DDT I have ever seen from a women's wrestler on Jazz,
and eliminates her with a 3 count. Molly then goes in and attacks Lita, and gets the
upper hand. Molly goes for the pin, and Victoria grabs Molly's legs, and flips Molly
over, and executes a very impressive bridge pin on Molly, thus eliminating the champ.
From here, Molly attacks Victoria savagely, and then is pulled from ringside. Back
to the match, Victoria and Lita go back and forth, with Lita getting more licks in.
A lot of near falls, but Victoria keeps kicking out, even after an inverted Twist of Fate,
and Lita gets frustrated. Litaknocks down Victoria and goes to the top rope, only for
Victoria to grab Lita from the top, carefully strap her into the Widow's Peak, and hit
the move for the win!

Winner, and NEW WWE Women's Champion: Victoria

Steven Richards comes out and slides into the ring Edge-style, and celebrates with
Victoria, and carries her off on his shoulders as she seems near tears.

Backstage, segment shows Vince pulling up in a limo and getting out.

In Bischoff's office, the Coach lets an annoyed Eric Bischoff know Vince is here, and
begins talking about how he'd be scared if he were in Eric's place. Interrupted by
Christain, who asks Bischoff the same question Coach did - "You know Vince McMahon is
here?" He then gets excited and asks a clearly annoyed Bischoff for a title shot for
the Tag Team belts at Wrestlemania for him and his 'best buddy' Jericho. Bischoff says
Jericho was no friend of his and never was, especially when he ditched WCW for the WWE.
So Bischoff "punishes?" Christian by giving him a match with Trish Stratus.

Second Match:
Randy Orton vs. Val Venis
Match for the Intercontinental Championship

Not much to tell here. The match was a filler that just got Orton more exposure, but did
not further any storylines. Randy hits the RKO in the corner for the win.

Winner, and still Intercontinental Champion: Randy Orton

Coming back from a commercial, we see an old NWO WCW 1998 promo from Eric Bischoff - the
infamous one where he invited Vince to show up to a WCW PPV. Mentioned to Vince in the
old promo that wouldn't Vince "like to wrap your (Vince's) hands around my (Bischoff's)
skinny little neck?" Cut back to an angry Bischoff in the present day, getting upset and
asking about who aired that old promo. Austin shows up and says he did it, and when Eric
loses his cool, Austin gives Eric a pep talk about how Eric is living every man's fantasy
by making out with the boss's daughter and his wife, and still being around and cashing
the boss's paychecks. Bischoff smiles, says Austin is right, and begins to relate to
Austin another fantasy with Stephanie, while Vince is shown getting hot behind Bischoff.
Eric pauses midstream and says "He is behind me, isn't me?" Austin kinda stutters and
is like "um, well uh, yeah, I think so, yeah." Bischoff turns around and gets chewed out
by Vince, and has a hair (either nose or lip) yanked out by McMahon. Vince leaves, and
Eric is rubbing the area Vince yanked the hair from.

Next segment involves Evolution pumping Batista up to take on Chris Benoit. HHH shows up
and interrupts, saying he has an announcement to make, and wants Evolution to back him up.

In the ring, HHH talks up Wrestlemania, and talks about how everyone would like to see HHH
fail, and how he will win at Wrestlemania. Benoit comes out, and gives props to HHH,
saying the fact he has the belt has got to mean something, but since coming to Raw, all
Benoit has heard HHH do is talk, talk, talk (welcome to Raw, Benoit!). HHH baits Benoit
to come into the ring, and Benoit does with a steel chair. Benoit gets jumped anyway, and
gets a beatdown until HBK makes the save. Once the ring is cleared, Benoit puts HBK in the
crossface! Austin comes down and interrupts the mayhem, and separates HBK and Benoit.
He tells Benoit his match is next.

Third Match:
Batista vs Chris Benoit

Batista got in some good licks in on Benoit, and did dominate portions of the match.
But, the match ends when Batista hoists up Benoit for the sit-down powerbomb, and
Benoit counters with the Crippler Crossface! Batista taps!

Winner: Chris Benoit

In the back, we see yet another pep talk from Austin to Eric.
Cut to lockerroom, we see Trish warming up, and Christian comes in (it's the Women's
locker room - doesn't he knock!? And why isn't Trish upset? Sorry, had to ask).
Christian tells Trish he will lay down, and let her pin him.

Fourth Match:

RVD and Booker T vs. La Resistance
Match for the World Tag Team Championship Belts

A back and forth match that saw Booker T scissors kick and RVD frogsplash the wrong man
on La Resistance, and the ref counted the pin anyway. I only make note of that because
the King did also.

Winners, and STILL World Tag Team Champions: RVD and Booker T

Interview with Mick Foley: J.R. and Mick talked about his condition and his feelings. Mick
was disappointed that no one in the back respected him enough to come out and help him,
since he was beaten on for 6 minutes. Ends with Mick telling J.R. that he will be back
next Raw, and there will be hell to pay for Evolution.

Fifth Match:
Intergender Match
Christian vs. Trish

A brief match to only further a storyline. Christian lays down as planned, only to
vigorously kick out at 2. Trish is like "what the hell?", and tries to leave, only to get
a slap on the ass from Christian. Trish goes to cuss out Christian, who smiles, and then
responds with a VISCIOUS clothesline on Trish (knocked her on her head). He then puts her
in the Walls of Jericho and makes her tap out. He leaves it in for a minute or two after
the match, and then taunts her by saying "where is your boyfriend now?"

Backstage: Coach is outside a washroom, telling Bischoff who is inside, that he would be
throwing up too if he had to face Vince. Eric angrily comes out in full Karate gear, and
tells Coach he was just getting ready, and then chews out the Coach.

Final segment: The 'we ran out of time, so let's fit all the announcements into one segment"
segment. Vince comes out in wrestling gear to make his announcement. He starts in, but
gets interrupted by Stacy and Jackie, who want a shot at Sable and Torrie. Vince gets a
semi-lap dance out of it from the two, and then makes a Playboy Evening Gown match at
Wrestlemania between Jackie and Stacy vs Sable and Torrie. Interrupted after by Kane, who
lays into Vince about the Undertaker coming back. Kane threatens Vince, who tells Kane
they both want the same thing. So it will be Kane vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Kane
smiles, and happily blows his pyro, and moves on, leaving Vince to make the announcement
he wanted to make all along (3 announcements in one? Not bad). He starts to hint at
Goldberg-Lesnar, and then sounds like he is going to not make that match, when Austin hits
the ring. Tells Vince he would be breaking "Stone Cold's law" by not making the match the
people want, and volunteers himself as guest referee. Vince makes the match, and tells
Austin that he gets to prove how good of a ref he is, in Vince's match.

Sixth Match:
Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon

Match starts with Vince beating on Eric, and Eric retreating to the ropes constantly to get
Vince to break his holds. Austin steps in each time to break it up, and one time, Vince
takes exception to that, and pushes Austin. Austin lays out Vince, and Eric capitalizes
with some weak Karate hits and kicks. Vince gets to his feet again, and the action carries
to the outside. The show ends as Vince finally 'has his hands around Eric's skinny little
neck", and Lesnar appears out of nowhere to F-5 Austin.

End Show

Winner: No contest.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Match Recap:

Victoria def. Lita, Molly Holly, and Jazz to become the new WWE Women's Champion

Randy Orton def. Val Venis to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Chris Benoit def. Batista

RVD and Booker T def. La Resistance,to retain the World
Tag Team Champions

Christian def. Trish Stratus

Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon went to a no contest.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Plot Recap:

The main focus of the show, honestly, was to sell the "Monday Night Wars" DVD, as they
were building this feud between Vince and Eric the whole show. Plus, it was a show used
to satisfy Vince's ego, as the previously mentioned 1998 Eric Bischoff promo had Eric
taunting Vince to come down and put his hands around Eric's "skinny little neck", and then
having this show end with just that. So the show built very little upon pre-existing
plots.

The Kane/Taker plot and the Jackie/Stacy/Sable/Torrie plot have been deferred to
Wrestlemania, although expect more Taker promos during and after Kane matches in the
upcoming Raw shows.

The ending with Lesnar did add to Goldberg - Lesnar. Before, it was thought that Austin
would side with Lesnar, because Goldberg speared him... and that still may be the case.
However, Austin could now side with neither, and the match essentially becomes a 3 way,
only with Lesnar and Goldberg unable to touch Austin, and Austin beating on both men.

The Christian - Trish match brought up the Christian - Jericho feud a notch. If Trish
does go ahead with the heel turn, look for this to be the defining moment - Trish blaming
Jericho for not saving her, and going with Christian. Love stories in the WWE never have
a happy ending.

The feud was built upon by HHH for the Wrestlemania match, but with his comments, the
question is, is HHH simply building the match, or is he not kidding? One only has to look
at his matches with RVD and Booker T, where up to the PPV, they looked good to win, only
for HHH to exercise political stroke to retain the belt in disappointing fashion. His
monologue leads me to believe that this could be the reality at this Wrestlemania. Chris
Benoit should come out on top, if politics do not get in the way. If HHH retains, you
know why.

Mick Foley - The interview set up the events for next week. Look for Foley to get the
upper hand temporarily next week, but to get yet another beatdown. But this time,
instead of no one helping Mick, look for a surprise visit from the Rock to even the odds.

This Raw Report brought to you by the Angle